Over this summer, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico with a few friends for a long weekend. We ended up spending most of our time in San Juan, the capital of PR, and in Vieques, a lovely island to the east of PR which is filled with amazing beaches.

Not only is Puerto Rico rich in history, it is also rich in delicious dishes. One of the most traditional dishes is called “Mofongo” – a plantain based dish toped with various types of meats or vegetables – which I was dying to try. Even though this is a very typical dish in Puerto Rico, every restaurant will put a different spin on the dish, so no two dish will be the same!

Mofongo covered in a tomato based sauce

During our stay in San Juan, my friends and I decided to enjoy the luxury of living in St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort. Not only does this resort own 2 miles of land for their own private beach, they also provide other free amenities to guests, including kayaking, paddle-boarding, tennis, swimming pools and more! Of course, we had to try out all these activities alongside with their dining experience. Continue Reading…

Soba: a typical Japanese thin noodle made from buckwheat flour. Dishes made with soba can be served either hot or cold, making it a delectable treat all year round! Enjoy the cold soba (such as mori soba) during the sweltering hot summer days or feast on the piping hot soba dishes (such as kake soba)during the cold winter storms.

Soba-ya has been open in the East Village since 1998, and it prides itself on making fresh homemade noodles (whether it be soba or udon). Right when you step into the restaurant, your nose will be met by the delicious aroma of fresh scallions, stewed vegetables, and exotic broth. Not to mention, the decor inside made me feel as though I was truly walking into a restaurant in Japan – the wooden walls, the asian calligraphy artworks, and simple clean decorations all helped me feel extremely relaxed.

I decided to come here and catch up with a good friend of mine after a long day of work. Being that the weather was still unpleasantly cold, we both decided to order the hot soba dishes. To start off, we first ordered the Tempura appetizer.

Recently, I’ve been really into eating brunch every Saturday; however, instead of going out to eat my weekly Eggs Benedict, I had a sudden craving for some delicious fluffy french toast or pancakes. After having a long internal debate on where I would go to find some delicious sugary sweet pastries, I decided to whip up my own version of french toast topped with plenty of fruits and a generous serving of whipped cream – as much as my little heart desired.

After being cooped up in my apartment for a day due to the effects of Winter Storm Nemo, I had a huge craving for a hot steamy bowl of ramen. And what better place to venture to than the extremely popular Ippudo NY for amazing authentic ramen? With over 4000 reviews on Yelp, this lovely Japanese restaurant is booming with business filled with locals and tourists alike – so be sure to get there at a off-peak hour if you don’t want a long 1+ hour wait!

After staring for a lengthy time at the menu, I finally decided to try the famous Akamaru Modern ramen ($15) while my friend ventured to try the Kogashi Miso Ramen ($16). Per suggestion of our waitress, we ordered the Hirata Pork Buns ($9) – another extremely popular dish – as our appetizer.

Hirata Buns

When the Hirata Buns arrived, I was pretty much drooling with anticipation – the aroma was magnificent! Not to mention, the folks all around me had wonderful smelling ramen that kept my nose enticed the entire time. I would have scarfed down those bad boys in a second, but I thankfully remembered to grab a few snapshots of them, so I may drool over the pictures at another time.

Red Crane is an Asian Fusion restaurant located in a small area of Cupertino (near Home Depot, for you home repair lovers!). Yes, the food is a tad on the pricey side; however, I feel as though this place is a must try (at least once, especially if you live around this area). The restaurant itself is small, wedged between a row of other small stores, so it may be hard to spot!

As I went with a group of 4, we ordered a “Salmon Tartare” ($9), the “Rainbow Chirashi ” ($18), “Shaking Beef” ($17), and the “Char Siu Marinated Sea Bass” ($20)… along with several bowls of rice ^^

Tuna Tartare

This dish was one of my favorites. I once had a bad experience with tartare at some French restaurant, so I was very reluctant to try this dish. However, it was amazing. Perhaps it’s also because I am now a converted fan of raw fish (Hooray for sashimi!). The chips placed on top of the tartare was crunchy adding in the desired texture to contrast the mushier feel of the salmon. The bits of pickled cucumber and diced shallots mixed within the salmon added a delectable texture and flavor – a bit of sour crunch in every bite.